Posted on 11/05/2007 5:31:49 PM PST by Lorianne
The rapidly growing metropolis' 'cavalier' attitude toward conservation is the real problem, critics say. ___ With government officials issuing stark projections that Atlanta could run out of water within three months, Georgia politicians have pleaded with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to decrease the amount of water being released. The flow has been required to save two species of mussels 200 miles downriver.
Yet while Georgia's leaders try to cast the water shortage as a battle between 5 million people and a few mussels -- with the message that greater priority should be given to Atlanta residents -- there is a growing sense that the metropolis itself is the problem: Critics say Atlanta's rapid population growth, coupled with blithe disregard for water conservation, is straining the region's ecosystem.
A break came Thursday in Georgia's 17-year water war with Florida and Alabama: The GOP governors of the three states agreed to reduce by 16% the amount of water released downriverfrom Lake Lanier, which would slow the drain on Atlanta's main water source.
"What was not on the table, and what has got to be on the table, is Atlanta's unrestricted growth and cavalier attitude to water use," said Sally Bethea, executive director of Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, a watchdog group.
Such concerns are not coming just from environmental lobbyists, who have long argued that Atlanta must do more to conserve water.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, in opposing a request by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to President Bush to permit a reduced downstream flow, wrote in his own letter to Bush that Florida's $134-million commercial seafood industry depended on the water. Crist added that his state had acted responsibly in enacting water legislation. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley argues that downstream communities and a nuclear power plant in his state require water too.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
“The flow has been required to save two species of mussels 200 miles downriver.”
Do mussels pay taxes? What is government formed for?
What a bunch of parasites Floridians are! They commandeer Georgia’s drinking water and gas and oil from TX and LA. I think it should be sink-or-swim time for this bunch of free loaders.
If Sonny Perdue had any balls he would send out the national guard and take over the damn at Lake Lanier.
I think Georgia should be selling water to Alabama and Florida.
The state is overrun with rich, spoiled retirees. What do you expect?
hiya figure?
Atlanta’s unrestricted growth and cavalier attitude to water use
Statements like this always make me wonder how these liberals want to restrict growth and control the water supplies themselves...
Yes, being downstream makes us a bunch of freeloaders... Dumb...
This is pretty funny coming from Los Angeles, California. A city and state which has been sucking up the Colorado River and many rivers and lakes in California for decades. Take down the dams on the Colorado and see how fast LA runs out of water for their lush landscaping and swimming pools.
Pot/Kettle
The bigger picture here is that the Army Corp of Engineers has been hijacked by the left wing environmental lobby. Very little of the ACOE’s activity is human related now, although the ACOE was created to make navigation and flood control a priority for urban growth to occur.
It is sad that now every project the ACOE engages in is to “restore wetlands”, dig channels for the pallid sturgeon, and render once highly productive farm land in Missouri River bottoms useless, by destroying the levies that once protected that farm ground. Ironically, those levies were built by the ACOE. That same mentality governs everything the ACOE has control over. And they claim to control every drop of water run off. Which means the people who need the water can be leveraged into submission, or just flat out run out if it meets the objectives of the enviromental wackos.
We have to get control of the ACOE by fighting back, just like the people of Klamath, Oregon did and still are for water they are entitled to. Whoever controls the water, controls the population. The fish and the mussels are just an excuse.
Watchdog group?
That would be ignorant doofuses with time on their hands and not a clue about how to run a hot dog stand, let alone a city.
The typical "watchdog group" refrain is invariably:
People Last!
Atlanta needs to do something to address the needs of its expansion, not just stop expansion. There’s a lot of water offshore from Savannah. It’s a little salty.
It is a solution. The question is how necessary in the long term would it be?
Yes it would be nice to have NOW. But droughts don't last forever. They rarely last more then a half a decade. So the question is whether the city is willing to make that kind of capital investment for a once a century occurrence.
Uh...
The National Guard is under the control of the Army.
Lake Lanier is under the control of the Corps. of Engineers.
The Corps. of Engineers is under the control of the Army.
Ya see the problem in your plan?
Desalination is EXTREMELY expensive.
So is pumping 500,000,000 gallons of water 1000 feet vertically every day.
There is a lot of truth to the unrestricted growth and cavalier attitude. We don’t experience water shortages very often, and therefore most people are not used to conserving. Growth is out of control and for the most part unplanned. Spend a little time in ATL traffic and you would understand. No one is putting much thought into anything around here.
I say blow the dams.
And send in them Duke boyz.
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